1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cervical brace and more particularly to a cervical brace for maximum patient support wherein the patient's head is held rigidly in place by widely adjustable chin and occipital supports that are strapped to the torso of the patient and supported from the pelvis of the patient instead of the shoulders.
2. Description of Prior Art
An injury or deficiency in the spinal column frequently requires that the patient be placed for a substantial period of time in a restraining brace. Different braces are designed for different problems and different areas of the spinal column.
The three principal areas of the spinal column are the lumbar area or lower back; the dorsal area or middle back, and the cervical area or upper spine or neck.
One type of brace used for cervical support is a so-called "halo" brace. With this type of apparatus a halo or ring is rigidly attached to the skull of the patient and the halo is held rigidly in place by a support mechanism that is attached to the body of the patient. This type of support mechanism is employed where it is essential to hold the head rigidly in place. Obviously this type of brace involves severe discomfort to the patient since the halo is, in effect, bolted directly into the patient's skull.
Another type of cervical brace customarily used for less severe injuries is a so-called Forrester collar. With this type of apparatus a ring-like support member encircles the patient's neck and supports from underneath the chin areas and occipital (or lower rear) portions of the head. Leather straps may hold front and rear portions of this ring together so that the ring can be separated for installation of the collar and tightened on the person's neck. The ring is then supported by a collar that rides on the patient's shoulders.
The problem with a collar that rides on the patient's shoulders is that the patient's shoulders are not necessarily held in a fixed position with respect to the head. Thus, when the patient shrugs his shoulders or makes a similar shoulder movement, this movement is transmitted from the collar to the support mechanism and permits or actually causes movement of the head.
A Forrester collar also may be supplemented with a pelvic support that rides on the pelvis of the patient.
Typically braces that engage the chin and occipital portions of the head provide unsatisfactory adjustment capabilities for fitting the brace satisfactorily and rigidly to different patients. Some devices provide crude adjustment between the chin and occipital supports by means of a leather strap attaching the two together. Some braces also provide vertical adjustment of the head support members and some provide for some limited pivotal movement of the head support member as a unit. Such adjustment mechanisms are not entirely satisfactory and provide an incomplete fit for a wide variety of patients. This limits the amount of rigidity that can be accomplished with the brace and makes it necessary to use a brace such as a halo brace when extreme rigidity is required in the brace.
One of the important objects of the present invention is to provide a comfortable, well-fitting, and widely-adjustable cervical brace that supports the chin and occipital portions of the head with sufficient rigidity for even the most severe cervical injuries that would otherwise require a halo brace.